


Latent

by fromGallifreytoGallitep (sykira)



Series: Season Three Remix [2]
Category: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Genre: F/M, Post-Episode: s03e10 Fascination, Sex Pollen, Yes again, kirashir, perfect-gentleman!Julian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-14
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-30 11:13:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21427291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sykira/pseuds/fromGallifreytoGallitep
Summary: A million thank yous if there is anyone who actually is bearing with me - I came back from a 3 hr class on sex trafficking tonight and these days excessively-gentlemanly!Julian is my therapy, and I consider myself inordinately lucky I have found this means to self soothe, even if it is now 2am!  I would absolutely love to actually write the last part of this because my poor characters never quite seem to get to the fun part of the evening (!) but for now I'm not sure I have it in me.
Relationships: Julian Bashir/Kira Nerys
Series: Season Three Remix [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1550068
Kudos: 10





	1. Chapter 1

With Lwaxana Troi stabilized, and her bio readings confirming the antivirals were already having the desired effect, Dr. Bashir left her in the capable hands of Nurse Jabara so he could read through the reports of everyone afflicted with Zanthi virus around the station one more time. Once he was sure he had attenuated the right broad spectrum antiviral mix in the air supply to account for all the affected species he resolved to retire to his quarters for the evening.

After all, it was for the best. He nodded to himself. The wisest course of action. His commander had ordered him _not _to follow through on his commitment to meet Major Kira in her quarters.

Indeed. Yes, that would be most unwise.

But was it an _order_ exactly, or had been more of a strongly worded _suggestion? _

Kira was his patient too after all. One he felt a compelling responsibility for after so thoroughly – well – giving in to the effects of the virus in her presence. He couldn’t believe that he, a doctor of all people, would be so susceptible. And now that he understood the physiological and neurochemical substrates well, surely that would allow him a greater measure of control, and he could just quickly check on her wellbeing without being in any danger of…a strong sense memory of how she felt moving in his arms as they kissed derailed his thought process and he stilled, his hand moving to his lips. 

Then he shook himself. He couldn’t allow himself to get lost in thought; something else was bothering him. Now that she wasn’t around and he could think clearly (well, somewhat) he recalled Nerys had mentioned something about Jake fixating on her. If the effects of the Zanthi virus were mediated by existing attraction, could teenage hormones exacerbate its strength? Not that he doubted the major’s ability to handle the young man, but what if Jake was overly persistent, and Nerys felt she couldn’t rebuff him as forcefully as she might otherwise because Jake was her commander’s son? And in everyone’s mind, Jake was still just a kid—albeit one who now stood at over six feet tall. 

Or was he just projecting his own guilt—after being subjected to his own amorous attentions, Bashir didn’t want to think of Nerys having to fend off any more unwanted suitors. 

(_Had_ his own attentions been unwanted? She seemed to reciprocate his feelings strongly or he would have been able to stop himself, Julian was sure of that much. But in a few days when the virus wore off?)

He was halfway to her quarters when his anxiety overtook him and he queried the computer as to the whereabouts of the Major.

_ “Major Kira is in habitat ring D, level 4-02 .” _

His mouth formed an O and his feet did a sharp about turn. She was already in his quarters.

He was almost out of breath he hurried so quickly across the habitat ring, and there she was: Standing in the middle of his living room, looking around, an expression on her face not unlike a startled deer. The uncertainty in her eyes dispelled somewhat when she saw him, a beatific smile gracing her delicate features.

“Julian!”

He could feel his own answering grin almost splitting his cheeks as he entered, letting the doors slide closed behind him. She was so beautiful, and she was _here, _she had come to _him. _

He almost bounded across the room to her, but stopped just in time to notice her posture was defensive, her shoulders tense, and her eyes still held some trepidation.

“Nerys,” he responded in greeting, his voice quiet, almost reverent. “How are you feeling?” 

“Better now.”

She moved as if to approach him but her steps faltered and she bit her lip.

“Do you…are you…” She seemed to run out of breath.

He nodded. “Um, yes, very much so. I mean…I was going to your quarters, and then—”

“Oh, I had to, uh, Jake wouldn’t buzz off, I had to give him the slip, that’s why I didn’t want to wait outside your door, he was following me everywhere. I hope you don’t mind.”

He frowned, concern making him step closer to her. “He was bothering you?”

“Just won’t give up.” She mirrored his steps, cautiously reducing the distance between them. “Julian, I…”

She teetered suddenly, blinking in confusion. 

“Woah, steady now, I was waiting for that.” Bashir quickly moved forward and caught her in his arms, his deep sigh at touching her again mirroring her own as she all but melted into his embrace.

Kira made a noncommittal noise in reply, staring at where his fingers curved around her arms, firmly supporting her frame. 

He cleared his throat, trying to regain some mental equilibrium, she was so close, so warm and soft in his arms, it was hard to think. “Reports around the station have me suspecting Bajoran physiology is somewhat more susceptible to the Betazed Zanthi virus than other humanoids. Zanthi viral antibody structure has lower molecular weight proteins and from everything I have learned about Bajoran enzymatic physiology, cell wall permeability…”

He was babbling. He trailed off, captivated by her dark eyes as she gazed up at him with unfocused eyes, clearly not following a word he was saying.

She swayed in his arms and his brow knitted together with worry. “Are you dizzy? Do you want to sit down, Nerys? I’ll get you some water. I should take you to the infirmary, see if we could run some tests, follow some detox protocols...”

He trailed off as she curled her hands in his shirt, trying clumsily to bring his face down to hers. He obliged her, unable to resist the wobbly pout and her huge eyes, his desire for her drowning out the distant part of his brain that processed her breathlessness and how weak her grip strength was where her hands still held him to her.

“No detox,” she whispered against his lips, her breath against his skin hot and yet sending the most delicious chills all the way through his body. His eyes slid closed and he moaned.

“Nerys, we can’t.” It came out as more of a plea than the firm command he had intended. 

Her lips moved to his throat and she hummed. He swallowed hard and forced his eyes open before he lost control completely. “Don’t you see? If you’re even more affected, it’s not right…I’d be taking advantage.” 

She tensed up slightly and pulled back from him, reeling a little as she lost her balance. 

Julian had to reach for her to stop her falling over. Her wide eyes followed the movements of his hands as he steadied her. Did she always look so pale? Guilt washed over him. 

She tilted her head quizzically. “You never hurt me, Juli-an,” she paused for breath halfway through his name. “‘Sides- I could-could,” she stopped again, taking a small step backwards as she took another shaky breath. 

Julian stilled, something had shifted between them, if he didn’t know better he would have thought something had happened to make her scared all of a sudden. The idea of frightening her tugged at his heart.

Kira’s expression was guarded now, her voice unsteady. “I could knock your lights out if you—if you, y’know... I know you, you wouldn’t do—” She ran out of breath again and dropped her chin and gestured vaguely, “—that.”

His mind replayed their last few minutes of conversation. Oh gods. His eyes widened and his stomach pitched. “No! No, Kira, of course not, I — _no _that’s not...when I said _‘taking advantage’_ I’m not talking about—” He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, aghast that she would even think that. Stupid of him, resorting to archaic language when the cultural differences between them were literal light years apart.

He forced himself to slow down and take a breath, noting that she had stopped backing away. “By taking advantage I’m not talking about hurting you, or-or forcing… I would never—you know…”

She was nodding, a tentative smile spreading across her face. She was so exquisitely beautiful his words died on his lips. 

“That’s not…what you meant?” she prompted eventually, her gaze flicking to his mouth more than once, her tongue darting out to moisten her lips. 

He shook his head. “I-I meant I’d be taking advantage of your condition-that’s all. You don’t…uh, you wouldn’t want this if you were in your right mind.”

She stuck out her chin slightly, her lower lip pout defensive. “It’s your condition too.”

“But if you’re more severely affected…” He didn’t bother clarifying anything about latent attraction, she would find out eventually, but right now it would surely only muddy things further between them. “Please Nerys, I would never hurt you, I can’t stand the thought of you being scared of me.”

He held still as she took an uncertain step towards him, then another. His breath stuttered when her hand found his cheek, her unsteady touch bringing him back to himself. He swallowed again. She was breathtaking, her eyes wide as she gazed up at him, lacking their usual guardedness she looked incredibly pretty, and incredibly vulnerable.

“Julian.”

_Vulnerable. _ She was vulnerable, and he was a heel for being here with her at all, much less letting this happen.

He brought his hands up to encircle her wrists, fully intending to gently but firmly remove her hands from where they were now caressing his jawline and neck.

She sighed happily. “How is it I can only gather my thoughts enough to- to find words when you are touching me?”

“I shouldn’t be touching you. Well, at all really, but I _really_ shouldn’t be doing so when we are having a conversation about me taking advantage of you.”

He looked down, fascinated by his own hand moving to cover hers seemingly of its own volition. 

He was mumbling something about his medical school ethics professor turning in his grave when her fingers tangled in his hair, her lips tickling his ear as she pulled him down to murmur something in his ear.

_“What?”_

“Bedroom,” she repeated breathlessly, then her mouth found his and his thoughts crashed to a halt.


	2. Fervent

Kira kissed him, slowly, tasting him, encouraging him to open up to her. He moaned against her lips, his breathing erratic when she allowed him to come up for air, her name a breathless sigh whenever he could form words at all. 

Somehow she had managed to overcome his stuttered protestations all the way to his bedroom, but as she tried to draw Julian closer to his bed, he was still holding back. He was being so very gentle, and even when she drew him down for another kiss his hands wavered somewhere in the air behind her back, as if afraid to touch her.

She pouted, feeling faintly silly but somehow it didn’t matter, not tonight. “Julian?” she whispered. 

“Mm mm.”

She drew back and looked at him, forgetting what she was going to say. He was just so adorable, his eyes heavy-lidded with lust and his hair still mussed up by her own doing, his strangely asymmetrical shirt now even more askew, and his cupid’s bow bottom lip caught lightly between his teeth in momentary uncertainty. Her smile grew wider and her reservations melted away.

“Nerys? Is everything all right? Are you feeling light-headed?”

“Hmm, yes. I think you should lay me down in…in your med bay.”

Breathing was hard. She couldn’t quite get a whole sentence out without pausing for a breath. It had to be the effect he was having on her, standing there all awkward and bashful and beautiful. She walked around him, the room tilting a little with every step, but somehow that was okay, as long as she kept touching him. She trailed one hand across his chest as she moved, feeling both silly and unusually young as she did so.

“Nerys…this isn’t the med bay…do you not know where you are?” She could tell he was trying for that command presence in his voice when he was putting on his Chief Medical Officer hat, and it sent delicious shivers all over her body. 

She rolled her shoulders and smiled at herself and how ridiculously she was acting. Then she jumped up to sit on the edge of his bed and tapped her legs against it, turning her smile up at him and pretending the room wasn’t spinning like crazy now.

“You’re in my quarters,” he continued uncertainly. His forehead was wrinkling adorably in consternation.

She blinked a few times, waiting for her surroundings to set themselves to rights, but now even the bed underneath her was swaying gently.

“Nerys?” His voice was so soft, when she closed her eyes it was a lullaby that accompanied the rocking of his bed.

“Nerys, are you all right?” She heard him take a step towards her.

“Dizzy,” she pronounced, and opened her eyes, unable to stop a smile spreading across her face when he took another step towards her. She really was dizzy but she would happily spin around all night if he would just keep coming closer.

“Are we alone?” She shrugged off another shiver that ran through her, goosebumps rising all over her skin.

“Uh…yes. We are. Alone, in my quarters.” He sounded almost bashful. “But if you would rather—”

“Do you want me to go?” she broke in, suddenly wracked with worry that he didn’t want her here; she was just embarrassing herself. She tried to find leverage to push herself off the bed but her arms felt like spaghetti and she frowned with the effort of trying to make them move.

“Nerys…no, you know I don’t want you to leave.”

She stilled. His voice was quiet but the sincerity was unmistakable. He took another step, closing the distance between them and reached for her, pulling back just before his hand could cup her cheek.

“There’s something I haven’t told you,” he admitted.

She tilted her head, transfixed by his eyes.

“The Zanthi virus…” he swallowed, “well, it…there has to be some, uh, latent…probably, possibly, subconscious, I’m not sure, um, attraction there to begin with.”

He fell silent then, and shifted his weight nervously, watching her reaction.

“Oh,” she breathed, not completely following why this seemed so serious (and not sure that she _wanted_ to think about it too much right then). 

“So,” he continued eventually, running a hand through his hair then wrapping his long fingers around the back of his neck, “so no, I don’t want you to leave.”

Kira’s eyes were drawn irresistibly to his lips. He was leaning down, they were so close, but he was still talking. 

“And yes, I do want…even before the virus I mean…this.” He winced at his own words as soon as they were out, and straightened abruptly. “But that doesn’t mean you have to…and as you pointed out - we’re alone, if you want we can go to the infirmary, Nurse Jabara is still on duty and-”

She shook her head impatiently, then had to grip onto the edges of his bed as her head swam and the room tilted wildly. She gasped, and blinked a few times, trying to focus. The muscles in her hands weren’t working very well, she could feel herself starting to fall.

“Nerys?” 

She exhaled in in relief when his surprisingly strong arms embraced her and the room slowly stopped spinning.

“Julian?” she whispered, not quite able to catch her breath. She buried herself in his chest, breathing him in, and felt rather than heard his answering hum.

When she was sure she could speak again, she managed. “Is the door secured?”

He gulped audibly as she lifted her face and brushed her lips to his throat. 

“The door to my quarters? Yes.”

His breath caught when she lay back on his bed, pulling him down on top of her. He didn’t resist a whole lot, she noted happily, wriggling under his weight, feeling much more centered now. He blinked down at her owlishly, half-pushing up to brace himself above her. “Major…” 

“Doctor,” she echoed back at him.

His eyes searched hers.

“I feel better like this,” she supplied pragmatically. 

His face broke into a grin, his eyes dancing and his cheeks dimpling. “You do?”

She nodded. 

“Probably transient postural tachycardia, the virus is really doing a number on your nervous system, your pupils are blown,” he murmured. His fingertips traced gently along her collarbone to her throat. “Pulse racing.” His fingers moved to play with the hair at her temples, trembling as they traced lightly over her cheekbones. “Flushed.” 

“Are you seducing me, doctor, or triaging?”

His lips curved into a cheeky half-smile that was most definitely seductive even if his eyes still looked guilty and his hands still held back from his caressing her with the abandon he had grabbed her with when the Zan-thingy fever had first taken hold. She loved this unexpectedly chivalrous Bashir but she missed the forthright one too.

“It’s easier to breathe when you’re close,” she confessed.

“I know what you mean,” he murmured, his eyes on her lips.

“You still worried about…what did you call it? Taking advantage?”

He lifted his gaze to meet hers and nodded solemnly. 

She caught her bottom lip between her teeth, staring into his eyes, his expression suddenly so serious. She couldn’t believe she had entertained the notion—even for a moment—that he would ever, _could_ ever, force himself on her, no matter how fever-addled his mind. Maybe it just showed how fever-addled _her_ mind was. He may be an alien, but he was no Cardassian.

She pressed her palms to his chest for a moment, feeling the heat of him, so close, and the fierce beat of his heart. She exhaled in a rush, closing her eyes briefly as the sensations and his nearness overwhelmed her. Was she really going to do this? With _Doctor Bashir?_ Her hands began to tremble so she worked her fingers into the fabric of his blue top.

“You would never hurt me,” she whispered, opening her eyes.

His eyebrows knit together. “I hope not,” he replied softly, caressing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

She mirrored his cheeky little grin from earlier, tightening her hands in the alien fabric of his shirt before she lost her nerve. “Then maybe you should let me be on top.”

His eyes widened. He was like putty in her hands as he let her flip him over.

“Nerys!”

She just smiled in response, too breathless for a moment to answer him, and not ready to surrender her hold on his shirt (for one thing everything underneath her was swaying dangerously now, and if she let him go she would fall for sure). Wait, why was he wearing so many clothes? She tugged at his shirt until he slowly peeled it off. She transferred her grip onto his waistband instead; he didn’t seem to mind just watched her carefully, his eyes so dark now. She couldn’t hold his gaze, it was so intense, so she let her eyes rove across his chest instead. He was somehow both thinner and stronger looking than she had expected, and she was captivated by the interplay of muscles in his shoulders.

When she lifted her eyes to his again she could see he was still looking at her closely, and when he saw he had her attention his eyes moved to her death grip on his trousers.

“Nerys?” His voice was soft. “You aren’t saying anything. We can stop this anytime you want.”

She shook her head and opened her mouth but couldn’t manage enough breath to form any words, so she just sat back on her heels and risked letting him go long enough to slip her own wrap dress off, letting it slide to the floor with uncharacteristic nonchalance. It left her in nothing but a sheer body suit, that did little to contain her bosom. Her lips twitched as she followed his gaze, his mouth hanging slightly open, all conversation abandoned.

His hands, anything but steady, hovered somewhere in the vicinity of her waist, until finally she tentatively guided them to settle on her hips, noticing him watching her face closely as he began caressing her there, gently at first. 

“Okay?” he whispered.

She nodded firmly and leaned over him to brush her lips to his.

He returned the kiss with the fervor she remembered from before and tightened his grip, holding her to him. Kira began to feel warm all over, gaining confidence from his passionate response as she deepened the kiss, no longer caring about breathing.

His hands pulled her down onto him and she gasped into his mouth when she brushed up against an unmissable bulge in his trousers. He jolted underneath her at the contact and his hands sprung apart, releasing her again.

Her comm badge crackled into life. They both froze.

_ “Sisko to Kira.” _

She pushed herself up on very unsteady hands, her eyes locked with Julian’s.

_ “Major, are you there? I can’t find Jake. Is he with you? His comm badge was located near your quarters.” _

Kira made a dive for her clothes. Julian’s arms went around her just in time to stop her toppling to the floor. Cardassian beds were just a little too high for the average Bajoran, but less of a problem for Bashir’s six foot frame. He held her close, reaching her dress for her and steadying her. She steadfastly ignored the violent spinning of the room as she fumbled for the comm badge just as Sisko was starting to sound irate.

Kira cut him off, her voice only wobbling slightly. “Here, commander. I don’t…” she paused for breath, “know where Jake is but I’ll meet you, uh…”

_ “At Security.” _

“Copy that. Kira out.”

She didn’t move for a moment. Julian ducked his head to meet her eye level, his gentle hand brushing her hair back from her face. 

“I-I can’t,” she managed eventually. 

“Nerys?”

“Can’t leave you. And can’t deal with- with Jake Sisko again tonight.” She dropped her head and wrung her hands around the flimsy fabric of her wrap.”

“It’s okay,” he soothed, his arm moving around her shoulders. “You’re in no condition to go running around the station hunting for anyone, you can’t even stand. And anyway, there’s no way in hell I’m letting that young man anywhere near you until the Zanthi fever is out of his system several times over.”

She blinked at him. “But Commander Sisko…”

“Has an entire security team at his disposal. Here, lie back down. Let me handle this, okay?”

“But…how?”

He reached behind her for a blanket from his bed and wrapped it around her securely, keeping one arm around her waist at all times. She sought out his hand with hers, wondering if he knew he was the only thing keeping her upright. 

“But Sisko…” A wave of vertigo overcame her and she closed her eyes, inhaling deeply when both Julian’s arms came around her again.

“Shh, Nerys, it’s okay. Once he finds Jake that’s really all he can think about tonight. I’ll find him.” 

As he spoke he gently laid her back down on his bed, tucking the blanket around her. “Before I came here I was in the infirmary and I just cross-referenced all the bio readings for the affected personnel to make sure the cure would reach everyone – it’s a simple matter to use the station’s scanners to locate him based on how recent those markers are, even without his comm badge.”

Kira blinked. 

He smoothed her hair away from her eyes, and gave her a warm smile. Standing up, he gave her a once over before moving away.

She blinked a few more times, disoriented. Then she turned her head and saw him again, a PADD in his hands he was coming back towards her, his fingers flying so fast Kira felt dizzy just watching him.

“I think…I need to lie down,” she mumbled.

His forehead creased, and then suddenly he was at her side. “You are lying down, Nerys." 

“I can’t lie down,” she batted his hands away. “Sisko is waiting for me, he needs my help.” She sat up abruptly and pitched forward, straight into Julian’s waiting arms.

“There you go, nice and easy, I got you.” His hands so strong on her shoulders centered her again. 

Much as she wanted to just relax and enjoy his closeness, she couldn’t, she had a job to do. She shook her head and tried again to get out of the bed. “Jake.”

“Jake is at Quark’s. I sent Odo over there.”

She nodded, even though it made no sense how he could have done all that in just a few seconds, but suddenly the tiredness was overwhelming and although she could see his worried frown and hear his voice she couldn’t help but let her eyes close. 

~~~

Kira opened her eyes again when she felt his hand on her head, cool and soothing.

“Julian?”

“It’s okay, I’m right here. How are you feeling?”

“Good? Tired. Cold.” She started to reach for him then stopped when she noticed he was wearing his shirt again. Glancing down at herself she was swathed in blankets from head to toe.

“Can you sit up a little bit? Drink some water for me?”

She did her best, his strong arm behind her shoulders doing most of the work. It occurred to Kira to be embarrassed all of a sudden.

“Julian?”

“Hmm?”

“Am I…are we going to remember this in the morning? Wait…_is_ it the morning?” 

“No, you’ve just been asleep less than an hour, and, well there are no documented amnesic effects of Zanthi fever, so yes, most likely you will remember.” He avoided her eyes as he busied himself putting away the water glass. “How are you feeling now?”

“Just dizzy. Is everything okay with Sisko and Jake?”

“Yes, no problems. Odo found him quickly. He’s fine.”

“And Sisko? Did you explain that I couldn’t come…”

“I, uh,” he looked away, “I thought it would be better if I had Nurse Jabara contact Sisko, to tell him you were medically relieved of duty, and to explain the disproportionate effect of the virus on Bajoran physiology.”

She shivered. Julian frowned, coming closer, taking her hand in his when she reached for him. “Cold?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Would you…can I, um, stay here?”

Tension evaporated from his features. “I was worried when you woke up you would want to make a run for it.” He gave her a sideways chagrined smile, which she returned.

“I don’t want to go,” she admitted, wincing at the words, and wishing she still felt as giddy and as well, drunk, as she had earlier.

He touched a gentle hand to her forehead, then smoothed her hair back. “Then don’t go.” He sounded relieved. “I can sleep on the couch, if you want…” 

She shook her head vehemently. “No! Julian, this is your bed! I understand if you don’t want to, I mean—” She ran out of breath, so she just started to climb out of the bed. He moved to support her in an instant.

“Woah, careful, Nerys-”

He caught her just as she realized her legs had apparently no intention of supporting her weight.

“What’s wrong with me?” she gasped.

He swept her up easily into his arms, arranging a blanket to mostly cover her. “You don’t remember? You almost fell earlier too, then you blacked out. You’ll feel better soon, I did what I could to speed up your body’s natural ways of ridding itself of the virus, you just need to give it a little more time to work.”

“I do feel more clear-headed,” she said, then bit her lip, wondering if maybe she maybe shouldn’t admit it. He was still holding her, cradling her to his chest protectively, and if she was completely in her right mind she knew she would be demanding to be put down – but as it was, it felt…nice.

“This is all part of Bajoran physiology being more vulnerable to the viral mutation, don’t worry, it’s just temporary muscle weakness, you’ll be stronger by morning and probably back to normal in a day or two.” He smiled gently at her, his voice still in reassuring-doctor mode, and where normally she might have rolled her eyes right now it was just comforting.

“You’re stronger than you look,” she muttered, closing her eyes and leaning against his chest as the room started to spin. No, she definitely wasn’t back to normal yet.

He set her down gently on his bed again.

“Couch,” she mumbled. 

He hesitated. “Nerys, if you don’t want me to share your bed I won’t, I promise, but I can take the couch, the bed is warmer, and you’re trembling.”

“I’ll be too cold on my own,” she mumbled, then felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Had she really just said that? Geez, Nerys, subtlety is apparently not your strong point tonight.

When she dared glance up at Julian he looked pleased, his lips pressed together as if trying to repress a grin.

“I could keep you warm,” he offered lightly, not quite looking at her.

“You…you don’t mind staying with me?”

He huffed out a laugh. “Of course not!” Then he sobered. “You don’t remember what happened between us?”

“I remember everything. But I thought maybe if it’s wearing off…”

“It might be, but all I know is I want nothing more in the world than to curl up beside you in this bed, and keep you warm, and safe from marauding hormonal teenagers, and help you get a great night’s sleep.”

She stared up at him.

“I, uh, am apparently still affected too.” He smiled sheepishly. “But I promise I will do better than last time at controlling my baser urges, Nerys.” His face grew serious as he met her eyes. “I do think I can maintain self-control this time. I understand though if you don’t want to take the risk or would rather I find someone else to watch over you, maybe Jadzia or—”

“Julian, don’t you ever…” she pulled his lips to hers, “shut up?”

“Yes ma’am.”

He crawled in beside her, pulling the covers snug around them both, and calling for the computer to dim the lights, which took two tries, his voice was so shaky.

“Are you sure you aren’t going to regret this in the morning?”

“The only thing I know for sure is I will definitely regret not doing this while I can still blame it on some virus.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A million thank yous if there is anyone who actually is bearing with me - I came back from a 3 hr class on sex trafficking tonight and these days excessively-gentlemanly!Julian is my therapy, and I consider myself inordinately lucky I have found this means to self soothe, even if it is now 2am! I would absolutely love to actually write the last part of this because my poor characters never quite seem to get to the fun part of the evening (!) but for now I'm not sure I have it in me.


End file.
